The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

IT was an active weekend for Bahamian basketball players at Canada's top-tiered U Sports level and in the Canadian College Athletic Association.

Azaro Roker has thrived in a more prominent role early in the season for the St FX X-Men.

Roker stuffed the stat sheet and finished with a near double double - 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots - in the X-Men's 93-87 win over Cape Breton. He shot 6-11 from the field and made his first three-pointer of the season.

The X-Men used a strong first half to build an insurmountable lead of 59-32 at halftime.

The turning point in the game came when the X-Men broke open a close match with a 39-13 run in the second quarter that they were able to hang onto in the second half.

Roker has averaged 12.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season as the X-Men got out to a 2-1 start. He opened with 12 points, nine rebounds and a season high five blocks in a loss to the UNB Reds, followed by 11 points and eight rebounds.

Roker looks to play a prominent role in the rebuilding effort for the X-Men. After just falling short of an AUS championship last season, the X-Men lost four starters and eight players in total. This year's squad features seven freshmen.

In his first season out of Anatol Rodgers, Roker averaged just 2.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in 18 appearances. In year two, he got three starts in 19 appearances and averaged 4.6 and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Trevon Grant and the Acadia Axemen split a weekend series with the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers and earned their first win of the season.

Grant finished with seven assists and four rebounds in the Axemen's 92-81 win in game two as they improved to 1-4. He finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in a 71-69 game two loss.

The Axemen lost both games of their opening series to St Mary's. Grant posted a double double in the season opener - 20 points 10 rebounds - and four steals in the 89-85 loss. In game two, he had another double double with 24 points and 12 rebounds (both season highs) but the Axemen lost 94-81.

The senior wing is averaging 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

His sister Leashja Grant continues to lead the Lakehead Thunderwolves to an undefeated regular season record thus far. They won Saturday over the Laurentian Voyageurs 75-51. Grant had a team high 22 points.

Lakehead started the game slowly, losing the first quarter 13-18, but took a one-point lead into the half, and finished the game with a 17-7 final frame.

"Super happy with our team's performance," Thunderwolves head coach Jon Kreiner said. "We had to battle early foul trouble with Leashja, Nikki, and Tiffany, and we found a way to come up with a lead at the half after getting down early. We played great team D in the second half, and Nikki set the tone with some deep threes."

In the CCAA, Roosevelt Whylly and the Holland College Hurricanes are ranked No.2 in the latest edition of the poll. Whylly finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the Hurricanes' 96-80 win over the St Thomas Tommies and is averaging 16 points, 12 rebounds and two assists per game on the season.

After missing the season opener, he finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 127-101 win over Crandall.

Also in the CCAA, the Bahamian trio of Van Huthinson Jr, Livingston Bromwell and Kevin Cooper are pacing the Niagara Knights to a 4-1 record thus far.

The Knights won 89-64 over Toronto-Mississsauga led by Hutchinson's triple double. The versatile wing finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and a career high 15 assists.

Livingson Bromwell finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and three steals while Cooper addd seven points and four blocks.

The Knights cruised on their way to victory, as they held the lead for the entire game, one that extended to 23 points in the third quarter as the Knights led 46-23.

The Knights had a balanced attack in this one, as all 11 dressed players scored at least four points.

Sampson Cleare was a force on the block for the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Ooks as they split a weekend series with the Augustana Vikings.

Cleare finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds in 90-84 win over the Vikings in game one and added 17 points and 14 rebounds in an 82-63 loss in game one.

Last season, he averaged 12.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Cleare was named team captain and entered this season ranked sixth in rebounds in NAIT history with 354. The school record is currently held by Sebastian Cava with 512.